hilores asked: Hello again, Nutritionista!

Thanks for answering my question about healthy Asian food options, and I hope I'm not being a time-hog for asking you another.

This one's about my sugar intake.

I've been tracking my nutrition recently through the Livestrong service, "MyPlate." It's working wonders, but I'm starting to worry about the levels of sugar I'm consuming. I often end up waaay over my recommendations before lunch. I honestly don't eat sugary cereals, and I could be getting more fruits in my diet, but I know that'll spike my sugar by a decent amount. I've eliminated all sugary drinks too - soda, artificial juices and fruit drinks, etc.

MyPlate recommends I only take in 34g of sugar per day. Any suggestions on how to keep this issue under control? Thanks so much! =)

Sugar is so sneaky, isn’t it? Some form of it is in almost every packaged food. Sneaky sugar can be found in:

• granola/energy bars
• instant oatmeal
• processed chips
• frozen foods
• foods labeled “low fat” (they add more sugar to make up for the lost flavor)
• fruit-flavored yogurt
• flavored coffee/tea drinks
• sports drinks

When buying packaged foods, look for sugar codewords like fructose, sucrose, lactose, maltodextrin, malt syrup, rice syrup, and fruit juice concentrate.

These days, I pretty much only eat sugar in the form of fruit or dark chocolate, or on special occasions. I find the more I eat it, the more I NEED it. And you know what? I really don’t miss it!

simplefolk asked: I've gone back and forth between vegetarianism and non-vegetarianism for years. After developing hypo-thyroid and hashimotos my dr. recommended that I cut back on carbs in order to shake some of the resistant pounds that I gained loose. In order to do this I have added fish to my diet. Recently, I started reading a lot about CLA 1300 and picked a bottle up. I've been reading a lot of conflicting information about this supplement. Do you know anything about it?

I used to take CLA, back in the days when I would try basically anything to lose weight. I don’t remember if it did anything for me or not (I’m guessing not), but my current philosophy is: the fewer supplements you take/the more nutrients you can get from actual food, the better. Like you said, CLA is somewhat controversial, but most of the research I came across is fairly positive.

There are two reasons why I’m wary of CLA:

1) It’s mostly comprised of a slightly altered form of omega-6 fatty acids, and we already get too much omega-6.

2) In general, I’m hesitant to ingest supplements because we just don’t know how everything works together yet. Consuming the desired nutrient in the context of whole foods seems like a safer bet. You can also get CLA from (grass-fed) beef, lamb, and milk fat.

Tulips and a card from a coworker, frittata from my (if I do say so myself) genius idea to make one on Sunday for the week. Ugh, my photos are so grainy and awful lately. Too bad I didn’t think to ask for a new camera for my bday!

I just got the best early birthday present ever (the actual day is tomorrow): a HUGE package full of gourmet spices from Atlantic Spice Company from my wonderful friend Taylor, who currently lives in Cairo. Taylor, of this post and this post fame, was one of my closest friends in college, and I miss him so much now that he lives thousands of miles away.

We obviously still keep in touch whenever we can, and he knew me well enough to select the perfect gift for an aspiring foodie/nutrition nut: SPICES! He picked out some really versatile and unique spices (he says some of them are common in Egypt):

• fenugreek seed (never heard of this one!)
• anise star
• chili powder
• saffron (so excited about this one!)
• cardamom seed powder
• green peppercorn
• bay leaves
• ginger root powder
• tellicherry black peppercorn
• New Mexican whole chiles (also excited to use these!)
• turmeric

I know I’ll use many of these all the time, and there’s so much of each that they’ll last me a lifetime. That’s one benefit to buying spices in bulk: It’s ridiculously cheaper than buying the little bottles from the grocery store that cost $4 or $5 each. You can get a huge bag of the same spice for $2 or $3 from a bulk spice shop.

I can’t even put into words how excited and grateful I am for this lovely gift. Thank you, Taylor! I love you and miss you!

Anonymous asked: Are there any labels or certifications that I can look for to make my grocery shopping more simple? That is, rather than having to search through the ingredients of each non-"raw material" food I consider buying.

Unfortunately, not really. It isn’t for lack of effort, though. Remember the whole Smart Choices debacle? Tina writes often about the NuVal system, which isn’t widely available in grocery stores just yet, and Whole Foods recently adopted the ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) rating system . I have mixed feelings about both rating methods. The foods ANDI ranks highest are:

• plant-based
• whole
• low-fat/”right”-fat
• nutrient-dense

Those look okay on the surface, but since there’s still so much debate about what the “right” fats are (foods with saturated fat like chicken, beef, and cheese all have low ANDI scores), I’m a bit skeptical of the system. NuVal also lists saturated fat and cholesterol as “denominator nutrients” — those that supposedly have unfavorable effects on health. High-ranking ANDI foods include kale (yes), spinach (yes), and pomegranate juice (huh? This is mostly sugar!). In the NuVal system, turkey breast and Post Frosted Shredded Wheat have the same score. Sorry, that just doesn’t seem right! Both systems put a premium on grains, even if they include a lot of sugar.

I think if you stick to ANDI/NuVal foods, you’ll definitely improve your diet over the SAD (Standard American Diet), but you still might miss out on important nutrients.

Those rating and labeling systems are so risky. I don’t think we should dumb down nutrition for Americans — we need to learn as much as possible about what we’re putting in our bodies! — and depending on who funds the system, it has the potential to be corrupt or misinformed. But I do see the value in a simple ranking system, if only in a “eat this, not that,” black/white type of way (which has inherent dangers of its own!).

As a general rule, if you have to read through a long laundry list of ingredients, the food probably isn’t worth buying.

Recently, I received an email from reader Cary, which I got permission to share. I’m honored that she wanted to share her story with me. It’s a story of resilience; using a setback to ramp up instead of back down. If you have a few minutes, read the whole thing. I have no doubt some or all of it will resonate with you. (Edited slightly, bolding mine.)

Last Sunday I was about three minutes into my weekend long run (was planning to do 8 miles in Central Park) when I was hit by a cab and broke my ankle. I was obviously devastated, panicked, and shocked because a) I was in a ton of pain, b) I have no health insurance, and c) no running for at least two months!! Doctor’s orders. Heart-breaking stuff.  But then I took a little time to read about runners who’ve taken involuntary sabbaticals due to injury, and I decided that I wouldn’t let these 6-8 weeks get the best of me. I decided to treat this break not as a hellish spiral in sloth-like idleness and weight gain, watching my muscles atrophy, but I’d take control of the situation and come out on the other end with a new respect for my body and its healing processes.

A little backstory: I started running in 2003 as a freshman in high school. I had never been athletic but immediately fell in love with the sport. Thanks to a 24/7 salad bar at my sorority house and, after I got my own apartment, an enormous and inexpensive grocery store, I managed to lose 15 pounds and be the healthiest I’ve ever been. My eating habits were impeccable (at times a little rigid and neurotic), but I looked great and felt amazing. I ate like a runner should - fuel first, treats if I can afford them, run off the desserts with an extra mile later.

When I graduated and got a job, chaining me to a desk 9 hours a day, I also discovered happy hour and fatty foods. The one-time rabbit (nothing but salads, baby) developed a serious addiction for….bar food?! Jalapeno poppers, cheese dips, burgers, quesadillas, mac ‘n cheese. If it was loaded with saturated fat and/or deep fried, I was in heaven. Within six months I put on 10 pounds. Within the next year I added 7 more.

Despite the change in diet I continued to run, but I slowed down considerably (despite running the Hamptons marathon in September in my fastest time ever, 3:37). I felt gross. My skin looked bad, heart burn, general sluggishness and lack of energy. Disgusting. Not to mention a total lack of self esteem because I a) gained nearly 20 pounds, and b) could not seem to control my over-eating and new bad habits.

That all changed last Sunday.

When I broke my leg and became literally incapacitated, unable to do even light cardio for the next month, I had a legit epiphany. The only way I will be able to maintain my shape (I don’t care if I don’t lose weight right now) will be to eat right. So in the past week I have completely revamped my diet - with inspiration drawn heavily from your blog - and not only do I feel better than I have felt in months and months, but I look better too. My face has de-puffed, I’m less hungry for bad foods, and I finally have the self-discipline to stop eating when I am satisfied, as opposed to when I am so full my tummy hurts. Thank God for FreshDirect or else none of this would be possible. But last week I stocked up on fruit, a ton of veggies, low-fat yogurt, roast chicken, Fiber One Honey Cluster cereal, 1% cottage cheese, hummus, Amy’s Organic soups, whole grain bread. I feel like a new person.

I’m so excited to take these next several weeks to reacquaint myself with good food, build some new culinary habits, and get back on the trail in May with the outlook I lost a couple years ago. I feel no guilt about not being able to work out while I’m convalescing, but have managed to get down to the gym twice in the past week to lift weights, do a lot of crunches, and even ride a couple miles on the stationary bike while pedaling with just my left leg. (Funny sight to see.)

I cannot wait to rediscover running and start training for the next marathon with a body that has been transformed by a healthy little vacation, and I couldn’t have done it without your blog, recipes, and inspiration. Just wanted to share my story with you and say thanks.

faith215 asked: I have a follow up question to tsfitjournal's good fats question. When it comes to good fats, what should in moderation look like? For example I use Kerry Gold grass fed butter, is that something I can use a pat of daily for my oatmeal or best to use a few times a week. Or if I buy grass fed beef, should I still eat less of it or is this something that I can now eat as I please, still in moderation but say I wanted to do so daily? Not that I would eat beef daily, just trying to get a handle or these sort of things.

You definitely touched on my meat/dairy philosophy: If you eat it, make sure it’s the kind worth eating! Beef and dairy should be grass-fed, organic, free-range, and hormone/antibiotic-free whenever possible. Fish should be wild-caught, chicken should be organic and free-range. Ideally, you’d get everything from a local farmer, but that’s not always possible.

If we all made it a priority to only eat meat and dairy that fit the above criteria, I think our country would look a lot different than it does today.

That said, as long as you’re abiding by that criteria, I don’t think you need to make any other conscious efforts to limit your meat/dairy/fat consumption. Since that type of meat and dairy will be more expensive, you’ll naturally end up buying/eating less of it. I also don’t believe the conventional wisdom that saturated fat from that type of meat and dairy leads to heart disease (though you should feel free to do your own research and come to your own conclusions).

The industrialization of meat in the U.S. is bad for us and our environment, but so is the industrialization/subsidization of other crops like corn and soybeans (watch a movie like Food, Inc. to learn more).

But I love Kerrygold grass-fed butter and use it pretty much exclusively! It’s so good, not to mention widely available at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods!

In a nutshell: As long as you’re purchasing meat or dairy that’s grass-fed, organic, free-range, etc., you don’t need to worry about how much you’re consuming from a health or environmental standpoint. I won’t comment on the other ethical reasons not to eat meat/dairy because that’s a very personal decision.

My Aunt Mary sent me a lovely photo and accompanying recipe for ribollita, an Italian vegetable bread soup. Knowing my great love for soups, I had to post the recipe! Mary used a recipe from Ina Garten, found here.

Her changes:

1.  I used 2-15 oz cans of cannellini beans instead of cooking the beans.  You still need to drain and rinse the canned beans but that’s much faster than soaking beans overnight and cooking for one hour.
2.  I used fire roasted canned tomatoes.  I use these in all recipes calling for canned tomatoes - much more flavor.
3.  I used only 1/2 Tbl of salt when cooking the vegetables, allowing me to add more salt at the end if needed.
4.  I used a whole grain rustic loaf instead of sourdough.  I thought this would be healthier and added additional flavor.
5.  Because I did not cook the beans, I used chicken stock to puree half the beans.  I also had to add 8 cups of stock to the soup since I did not have any bean cooking liquid.
6.  I removed the crusts on only half the bread.  The half without crusts I placed in the soup per the recipe.  The cubes with crusts I made into croutons and placed on the soup when serving.  To make croutons, place bread cubes on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Season with salt or garlic salt and toast in a 400 deg oven for 7-10 minutes, stirring halfway through.  Keep an eye on the croutons because they can burn easily.

She suggests kale chips as a crunchy topping for the soup. Brilliant idea!